Airship.



J. 0.- BROOKBANK. AIRSHIP. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28,.1908.

Patented Mar. 14;, 1911.

3 SHEETSSEEET 1.

Id. I mmvron L Jbrzewdfiraakank BY 2 Z ATTORNEYS WITNESSES J. O. BROOKBANK.

AIRSHIP.

APPLIGATION IILBD SEPT. 28, 1908. V I

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mm 0 w v BX'Z A TTOHNE rs 1L0. BROOKBANK.

AIRSH IP. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1908.

986 ,434. Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

a SHEETS-SHEETS.

52, ATTORNEYS JAMES O. BROOKBAI VK, OF DRIITWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

Application filed September 28, 1908. Serial No. 454,960.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES O. BROQKBANK,

- a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Driftwood, in the county of Cameron and State-of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Airship, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to airships. An object of the invention is to 'provlde a simple, strong, and mechanically efficient airship, which can be propelled wlth. or against the wind, which can be raised or lowered in the air, and which resists any tendency to deflect it from its normal direction of movement.

A further object of -the invention is to provide an airship combining in its con struction the principles of both the heavier than airand lighter than air types of similar devices, and having self-contained driving means for propelling it.

A still. further object of the invention is to provide an airship having a buoyant body, and means independent of the buoyant body for altering the elevation of the airship.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the airship on. the line 1-.1 of ig. 2; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is an end view showing certain of the parts in cross section; and Fig. 4; is a plan view of the air ship, on a reduced scale.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my invention, it should be un-- dersto-od that I employ both the buoyant body principle and the aeroplane principle, combining both features in my invention. The buoyant body, which may be filled with any substance lighter than air,'for'instance, hydrogen gas, is of peculiar form and. has the top, bottom and side faces flattened. These faces. play a, certain part in-the operation of the airship, as will appear more clearly hereinafter. In connection with the buoyantbodyI employ a large aeroplane,

as well as guiding of directing aeroplane rudders. The large aeroplane and the aeroplane rudders are adjustable so that'they can be set according to the direction of the wind and the desired dircction'of travel of the craft. The buoyant body in itself, is not-sufficient to raise the airship from the ground and it merely constitutes, in that re spect, an auxiliary for the elevating propellers I employ. These are arranged in normally vertical wells and when revolved rapidly in the proper direction, will have a tendency to drive the airship upward; that is, to raise ,it from the ground. The upward tendency given by the elevating propellers, together with the similar effect due to'the buoyant body, is suflicient to cause the airship to rise. It will be understood that by increasing or decreasing the speed of revolution of the elevating propellers, the ship can be raised. lowered or maintained stationary in the air. I provide other propellers for causing the airship to advance in one direction or the other. By reversing the driving propellers the direction of the movement of the ship can be reversed. Consequently, it is unnecessary to turn the craft about in order to advance in an opposite direction. but it can be turned around when desired by revolving the end propellers on one side of th; car more rapidly than those on the other 51 e.

Referring more particularly to. the drawings, 1 represents the buoyant body which may be formed from any suitable material, such as is usually employed for the purpose,

preferably with the tapering ends and some portions of the sides overlaid with thin sheets of aluminum, or some other light, stiff material to reinforce the same and the whole properly braced and strengthened. The buoyant bodyis of angularpreferably rectangulan-cross section. The top, bottom and side faces 2, 3 and 4, respectively, are flat. The side faces, near the ends are inwardly and equally inclined. and together with the curved ends of the top and bottom faces form the wedge-shaped tapered extremities 5 of the buoyant body. The edges of the wedge-shaped body extremities are curved as is shown most clearly in Fig. 1, and lie in substantially vertical planes when the body is in a. normaliposition. Pairsof hangers 6 are arranged near the ends of the body and depend therefrom, being connected at tire, upper-face of the body by cross-pieces 7; The hangers are curved outwardly and i -A car 10 aving theopposite ends 11 ta' 1o toward the ends of the body, for a urpose which -will appear hereinafter. 'etween the hangers-6 is an intermediate pair ofhangers 8 joined at the-up er 'face of the body by a cross-piece, 9. he hangers 8 resent no curvature and depend'from the uoyant bed as do the hangers 6.

pared or wedge-shaped, is carried by the depending hangers 6 and 8. At'the bottom of the car are runners 12'which prevent injury to the car when the airship comesiinto contact 'wlth the ground in escending from a flight. Near the ends of the car are ar-,

ranged wells 13' 0 en at the top and bottom and preferably aving' a sh ht upward ta r. Shafts 14, are ournaled upon suitab e transverse carriers 15 within the wells, and extend longitudinally of the latter. Each of the shafts 14 has a ropeller 16 which, when 'thesh'aft is revo ving in the proper direction, tends to raise the airship.

- variable s e'ed motor, for instance, an in- =sproekets' 19 with a she mover 17 is located in the car. The prune mover may consist of any suitable ternal exp osion engine. The driving shaft 18 of the motor is connec ed by-a chain and 20 journaled in bearings 21mounted upon the bottom of the car, having at the ends bevel gears 22 in mesh with evel gears 23 rigidly carried at the ends of; he'shafts 14, whereby the shaft '5; 20 serves simultaneousl 'eontrolfthe sliafts to operate the shafts. 14 and the propel era 16. If so desired, the shaft 20 can be omitted and the driving shaft 18 can be geared directly to the shafts 14.' 1

At each of the car and longitudinally thereof is-arranged a shaft 32 extending be.- yond the endsjofithecar and arranged in suitable bearinge+83-mounted upon the latter At; the-y'jprojeetin extremities, the shafts; prope era 34'. .Variable and-reversing gears 85 independently 2- and have levers 36 by means of which theycan be manually operated'. of the variable speed is operatively connected with the shaft 26 gears 85 of .agmotor 27 by means of a chain and sprocket 28. If so desired, the motor may be of a reversible type, to 'drive the shaft in opposite directions. The arran ement of theprope'ller blades is such that t e propellers at one end of the car pull the same in one direction, while the propellers at the otherend of the car push it int-the same direction; that is, all the. driving propellers serve to advance the airship in the same direction when the shafts are properly driven for this purpose. By reversing the shafts, the direction of movement of the airship is reversed and consequently, it is unnecessary in. every-instance to turn the entire craft about in oltderto reverse the direction of travel, but the shi can be turned around entirely or partial y by revolving'the propellers at one side morerapid-ly than "those at the other, the variable speed gear permit ting this to be effected,

wheels 40. These are provided with driv ing motors it)". The gyroscopic disks are rotatable at hlgh speed, and serve to steady the airship in flight. The pivoted frames 393 permit the necessary procession'al movement to allow the gyroscopic disks to steadyflthe machine. A motor 41, 01 any suitable typ is arran ed within the car, and is con ledynamo 40? which is connects byf? means of suitable conductors 41, with the motors 40", to provide the latter with our! with a rent to operate the 'gyrosco i'c disks. The auxiliary motor 41 is emp oyed, as it is necessary. to give the gyroseopic wheels a substantially uniform rate of rotation, and to render them independent of the other driving mechanism. I

A spindle 46 is arranged. between the hangers 8 and carries, pivot 1y, an aerd plane 48. The aeroplane has sis-3s 47throug'h which'the outer and the intermediate hang ers 6 and 8 pass. Owing to the curved form of the latter, the slots can'jbe-made of comparatively short length, "while still per-Inittin free movement of the aeroplane within wi e limits. Near the ends of the plane are eyes, 49 to'which are secured the ends respectively, of lines 50', consisting'of flexible members such as wire'cables or the like. The lines 50 pass over rollers 51 arranged loosely upon transverse shafts 52 near the ends-of the car. Each line 50 has .a turn abou't'a drum 53 whichis adapted to bemanually operated to tilt the aeroplane in one direction or the other. The shafts 52 have" the ends projected laterally beyond the car;; and carrying rigidaeroplane rudders 54. At-the sides of the car, the hangers 6 carry manually operable sprockets 56. The latter are *operatively connected by means of chain's 5 with sprockets 5 8 rigid'with' thelshafts 52. By turning the sprockets 56in 'onedirectio'n or the other the shafts 52 can be adjusted to tilt the aeroplane rudders'54 in one direction or the other. It will boundarstood that the pairs of aeroplane rudders are independent of each other and pan be tilted to any desired degree.

The large aeroplane 48 and the aero lane rudders 54 can be em loyed in accor ance with the practice usua in aeroplane flying machines, to assist in the upward and down- '1' I Mounted between superposed bracketsfitgy "at each endof the car are annular frames-39, in which are journaled gyrosc'opic disks or;

ward as well as horizontal movement of the airship. It will be understood that the large aeroplane and the aeroplane rudders can be easily turned tr set at angles suitedtothe conditions of travel, the velocity of air curflat form of the buoyant body with the tapering ends also renders it less liable to collapse or to be injured when being forced against the Wind, than-if it were constructed in any other manner or form.

. means for Having thus described my invention, I

claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an airship, a buoyant body'adapted to be filled with a substance lighter than air,

and having tapered extremities, the upper and lower faces of said body being flattened.

2. In an airship, a buoyant body having flat faces, and tapered, wedge-shaped extremities presenting curved edges.

3. In an airship, a buoyant body adapted to be filled with a substance lighter than air, and having the top, bottom and side faces substantially fiat, said body having the ends tapered and presenting normally vertical, curved edges.

4. In an airship, a buoyant body, pairs of hangers secured thereto, a car depending from said hangers, and an aeroplane pivot? ally mounted between the hangers of one of said pairs, said aeroplane having gaps through which the others of said hangers ass. P 5. In an airship, a buoyant body, hangers carried by said body at each side thereof, an

,aeroplane pivoted between certain, of said hangers and having slots to receive the others of said hangers, said other hangers being curved with respect to the pivotal axis of said aeroplane, and a car depending from said hangers.

6. In an airship, a car, a shaft arranged longitudinally of said car at each side theref. said shafts projecting beyond the ends of said car and having propellers at the projecting ends, wells arranged within said car and substantially vertical in a normal pos1- tion ofsaid car. said .wells being tapered upwardly, shafts within said wells, propellers on said shafts within said wells, and driving said shafts at a plurality of speeds.

7. In an airship, a buoyant body, hangers secured to said body, a car suspended from said hangers, an aeroplane pivoted between said hangers. means for adjusting said aeroplane. aeroplane rudders at the sides of said car, and means for adjusting said aeroplane rudders independently of one another.

8. In an airship, a buoyant body, hangers carried by said body at each side thereof, an aeroplane pivo ed between certain of said hangers and having slots to receive the other of said hangers, said other hangers being curved With' respect to the pivotal axis of said aeroplane, a car depending from said hangers, transverse. shafts carried by said car and projecting laterally tlierebeyond, aeroplane rudders arranged upon said shafts, and means for adjusting said aeroplane and said aeroplane rudders independently of each other.

9. In an airship, a buoyant body having flat faces and tapered extremities, a car secured to said body, propellers at each end of said car, means for driving said propellers simultaneously or independently and in either direction, at a plurality of speeds, further propellers revoluble about axes at an angle with the revolving axis of said first propellers, and means for driving said further propellers independently of said first propellers and at a plurality of speeds.

10. In an airship, a buoyant body'adapt- 2 ed to be filled with a substance lighter than air and having the top, bottom and side faces substantially flat, a car secured to said body, shafts arranged longitudinally of said car and having the ends projecting beyond the ends of said oar, said shafts at the ends projecting beyond the ends of said car carrying propellers, said car having wells open at the top and bottom, a shaft arranged within each of said wells and carrying a propeller, said first shafts and said shafts in said wells being arranged at an angle with each other, and means for independently driving said first shafts and said shafts in said wells at a plurality of speeds.

11. In an airship, a buoyant body adapt= ed to be filled with a substance lighter than air and having tapered extremities, the side, top and bottom faces of said body being flattened, a car secured to said body, propellers at each end of said car, means for simultaneously or independently driving said propellers in either direction at a plurality of speeds, other propellers revoluble aboutaxes at anangle with the revolving axes of said first propellers, independent means for faces of said body being flattened, hangers secured to said body, a car suspended from said hangers, an aeroplane pivoted between said hangers, means for adjusting said aeroplane, aeroplane rudders at the sides of said car, means for independently adjusting said aeroplane rudders, shafts arranged transversely of said carand lying in a horizontal plane when said car is in a normal position,

a gyromo'pic wheel carried by each of said shafts, means for driving said shafts at a practically constant speed, propellers at each end of said car, means for simultaneously or independently driving said propellers in either direction at different speeds, other propellers revoluble about an axis at an angle with the revolving axes of said first propellers, and means for driving said other propellers at diiferent speeds.

' 13. In an airship, a buoyant body, hangers secured to said body, a car suspended from said hangers, an aeroplane pivotally mounted upon said hangers between said body and said car, means for adjusting said aeroplane, pairs of aeroplane rudders at the ends of said car, said rudders of each of said pairs being atopposite sides of said car, and

means for adjusting said pairs of rudders independently of one another. Y

14. In an airship, a buoyant body, hangers secured to said body, from said hangers, an aeroplane pivoted be tween said hangers, a line controlling said aeroplane,'a drum for operating said line to adjustsa-id aeroplane, aeroplane rudders at the sides of said car, and means for adjusting said rudders. y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name. to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

- JAMES o. BROOKBANK- Witnesses: AGNES MACDONALD, P. M. IIANES.

a car suspended 

